michaelk

Three years out and I'm still down 90 lbs. Good move, Chris!

Absolutely! I lost 90 lbs and have kept it off for three years. I had never come close to that in the last 30 years. Whatever inconveniences and minor dietary restrinctions are so minor compared to the benefits.

90 lbs off, 10-20 to go. My wife has to call me at work to remind me to eat lunch! It's taken about 18 months.

I lost 90 pounds so far without any exercise whatsoever. Of course, I would have lost more and been healthier if I were exercising, but it's hard right now to find the time.

I was banded last year in January. I was 100 lbs overweight, with a BMI of 41.5. That put me in the delightful medical category of "morbidly obese". I live in New York City, and I was referred by a friend to the Weill-Cornell Langone weight-loss center. They have a great staff and they offer lifetime consultation with their nutritionist and their nursing staff. The surgeon was George Fielding, who is well known in the field. He was banded himself about ten years ago, but you would never know it to look at him. He's a poster child for his own specialty! They require a six-week all liquid diet prior to the surgery to de-fat the liver. I lost about 20 pounds before the surgery just from that. He confided to me that he has had patients who decided to forgo the surgery after the liquid-diet weight loss. My previous experience told me that without the surgery I would certainly gain it back quickly, and add some more. The surgery involves only a minor incision and the patient usually goes home the same day. (I had to stay overnight because I have sleep apnea) Since then, I have lost a total of 80 pounds, and I'm a new man. I just had a checkup yesterday, and my doctor took me off my blood pressure medication I have been taking for 20 years. I plan to lose another 20 lbs and then go on maintainence. I had some minor problems along the way, but they were temporary. I had a long plateau after losing 60 lbs. I had to find the "sweet spot" for band tightness. I went too far, and I couldn't eat much of anything. I was losing quickly, but not getting enough nutrition. Once we worked it out, it has been smooth sailing. One of the things I really like about the band is that I just don't feel hungry very often. I went to a restaurant recently and I could only finish about half the portion. (Normally, I would be licking the plate before my wife finished her appetizer ) What I found interesting is that most of the issues which had be worried before getting the band turned out to be either non-issues or a minor nuisance, at worst. There are some foods which won't go down the band at all (e.g. soft doughy bread) but I find I don't miss them at all. It is such a different orientation not to be thinking about food all the time. If you have already had your band, and seem to be in a rut, just hang in there. It took me over a year to really hit my stride.

I would have to say that I am C. One problem with that is that at unpredictable times I seem to be able to eat as much as I want. I am at a plateau right now. However, I'm due for another fill this week, so hopefully, I'll get back on track (I was banded February this year). I have not been able to exercise, which makes it harder. Despite all that I am 55 poinds lighter, and generally optimistic about reaching my goal. Like many of the other posters, I don't really miss the few things (like soft bread) that I can't eat. Everyone is different, but for some reason, I have never had a problem drinking diet soda. My surgeon, who was banded himself, told me he lives on diet coke (sipped - not gulped).

I was banded in February. It may be premature to label this a success story, but I'm halfway there. I lost 50 pounds and have 50 to go. I call it a success, because I have never regretted my decision for a minute. I was concerned before the surgery about the diet restrictions and the unpleasant results of overeating. I found both of them to be, at most, a minor inconvenience, and any discomfort is massively outweighed (no pun intended) by the positive results of weight loss. The next 50 pounds will proabaly be harder, and will come off more slowly, but now I have confidence that I am learning how to eat correctly for the first time in my life.

Yuk! That is, indeed, rough going. I hope that gets resolved soon. Maybe you could double-check with your surgeon to make sure there is nothing wrong.

Hang in there! Depending upon your doctor's policy, you may still be on soft foods. I remember, that does get pretty old after a while, but this too shall pass. What kind of "rough going" are you experiencing?

I was banded in February, and have had six fills. I lost 50 pounds so far. I am finding that in the morning, I can barely eat anything. As the day progresses, I can usually eat more. It seems to vary from day to day. Sometimes, in the evening, I can eat far too much if I want to (I usually do, or I wouldn't need a band ) I had a fill two months ago to try to correct that, and it was too tight. I could barely get down shakes, and I had to have it loosened. I'll bring it up with the surgeon on my next fill appointment, but I suspect that at this point, I really have to help things along by exerting a modicum of will power. I still have to eat slowly, even at night, which does help.

It sounds like at your current fill, you are limited to a fairly small amount even in the evening. That is encouraging. I'll have to try to get there at my next fill. Thanks

A.

It is far too early to get discouraged . I didn't start to feel any significant restrictions until my fourth or fifth fill. The surgeon told me that is quite normal. I also did not experience any significant weight loss until then. After that, I started to get real results. So far I have lost 50 pounds. I would like to lose another 50 pounds, and they will probably come off more slowly, but I think they will eventually come off.

Day two of my 10-day liquid diet. Yesterday was OK, but today I'm light-headed and weak. Does that go away? :rolleyes2:

Hi, I'm scheduled for surgery Nov 23. My major concern about post-banding life is drinking water. I love cold water, and I love to gulp down a glass when I am thirsty. Do people find that they have to take little room-temperature sips? If so, how do you deal with it. Thanks '

Thanks to everyone for reassuring me. This is a great forum! One month to go...

I'm scheduled for surgery Nov 24. I'm both scared and excited. The one thing which scares me is drinking water. I don't mean before-during-after meals, but in general. When I am thirsty, a big glass of cold water is such a relief. Will I have to restrict myself to small sips of room-temperature water? :blushing: